Eutropthic Observation

Eutrophication is the excessive nutrients in a lake or body of water, frequently due to runoff from the land, which causes a dense growth of a plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen. We tested for phosphate, nitrate, and dissolved oxygen. Phosphates and Nitrates are found in fertilizers, laundry detergents, and sewage treatments. Dissolved oxygen is microscopic bubbles of gaseous oxygen that are mixed in water and aailable to aquatic organisms for respiration. We found that there was a phosphate average of 0.1 parts per million (ppm).

Introduction Our aim of this experiment is to determine how eutrophication affects the growth of duckweed by adding different concentrations of fertilizers to the water with different types and forms of fertilizer keeping it in set conditions for a period of two months to observe how eutrophication affects the growth of duckweed. Thus our hypothesis for this aim is that it is expected that eutrophication would affect the growth of duckweed when different concentrations of fertilizers are added to the water. The reason for studying this aim is that we wish to see how eutrophication affects plant growth in the water even if fertilizers are added to the water.   Literature Review The research question that we hope to answer is how eutrophication

Nitrogen has been found to be a limiting factor when referring to plant growth and algae in marine waters (Ryther, Dunstan, “Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Eutrophication in the Coastal Marine Environment”). A limiting factor is something than is a main factor that affects the population growth of an organism. A 37 year old experiment on a lake

In beaker from step 21, put 15ml of distilled water, which is measured by cylinder. With the glass rod stir beaker in step 22. Repeat stet 4 to 9.

Microorganisms play role in breaking leaf litter into small parts and make it is easy for decomposition. Aquatic systems lakes show major inputs from autochthonous sources. It is difficult to determine how much primary producers; allochthonous and autochthonous play role in organic deposits as the diverse inputs such as dead organic material with attached microorganisms, result in complex mixture accumulating heterogeneously in the bottom of the aquatic system.

Duckweed is a small free floating aquatic perennial (Briggs, 1925). They are made up of a small leaf usually smaller than 5 mm, dependant on the species, which float on stagnant or slow moving water in groups of two or three, or individually (Gifford 2004). Lemna Minor was used in this experiment. They are usually seen in late spring to autumn, although some species remain green throughout the winter, while still more form a turion underwater in winter months and surface again in spring (Guha, 1997).

After the cuvettes were prepped, we found the initial pH of both cuvettes using pH Indicator Color Guide and put the cuvette labeled “light” 15-25 cm under the provided lab light and placed the cuvette labeled “dark” into an empty drawer by the light cuvettes. Every 5 minutes, we checked the pH of our algae beads with the pH Indicator Color Guide cards and continued to do so for 45 minutes. After we collected our data, we washed out our cuvettes and saved the algae

There, the algae in the water will use these substances to grow rapidly, and there will eventually be a high concentration of algae in the water. When the algae eventually dies, it is broken down by bacteria, which multiply and use up all of the oxygen

Using the trophic state index, the weight of biomass can be determined (Carlson, 1976). The trophic status of a lake will help determine the nutrition and growth of a lake. There are three classifications: oligotrophic, mesotrophic and eutrophic (Carlson, 1976). A eutrophic lake has a high nutrient content and high plant growth, a mesotrophic is in the middle, and an oligotrophic lake has a low nutrient content and low plant growth (Carlson, 1976). Performing this lab and being able to determine the trophic status of the lake will allow for determination of how productive the lake

These techniques were used in the experiment to calculate atrazine and metalaxyl's logKOW and HOMO-LUMO ΔE values by creating calibration curves, calculating octanol-water partitions, and finding the EC50 (effective-concentration) of the ecotoxicity assay. Meanwhile, computational methods that were relevant to this experiment included HOMO-LUMO ΔE analyses on WebMO and referencing ChemSpider for predicted and literature logKOW values. It is important to note the controls that were used during this experiment; for the spectrophotometry, blank cuvettes and dark controls were used to ensure the accuracy of the absorbance and fluorescence data. Meanwhile, for the algae assay, the use of algae controls without pesticide provided a baseline for how much the algae grew without any pesticide. The species of algae (Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata) used and the conditions the algae were kept in (incubation and freezing) were universal for all ecotoxicity

Moreover, Trent discusses other biofuels which are currently used in the market. For example, “soybean makes 50 gallons per acre per year… microalgae contribute between 2,000 and 5,000 gallons per acre per year,” the incorporation of these statistics reinforce Trent’s proposition, to introduce this product into the market place and making it [microalgae as a biofuel] a part of our lives. The statistics also allow one to take into context how much more productive and useful the microalgae are, compared to our current sources of biofuel. Trent tested his experiment in San Francisco and used waste water as a source for the microalgae. He states that “San Francisco has 900 miles under the city, and the waste water is released offshore,” Trent implies that instead of progressing the damage we cause the environment and further negatively develop the problem with water pollution, we could use that waste water to supply us with

If the plant has too much fertilizer, the total growth will decrease because the soil will become too acidic. Fertilizer misuse is very common by uneducated farmers, which adds to the algae problem. Fertilizer’s benefits clearly outweigh the disadvantages, however, to maintain a healthy environment, farmers should use the minimum amount that they can get away with. This experiment will show which ratio will be the best. It also shows how bad algae will get if farmers overuse fertilizer or misuse it.

We also collected quantitative data for the aquatic chamber. We collected how much dissolved oxygen in the water, the pH of the water, and the water’s temperature. It was Billy’s job to collect the temperature of the water and how much dissolved oxygen there was in the water. To find the temperature of the water, Billy used a temperature probe that could be put in the water and placed it into the water. Billy then used a special probe that measures the dissolved oxygen and placed it into the water to get the amount of the dissolved oxygen.

Step Three: Pour 250mƖ of water into each container (using a beaker) Step Four: Measure the amount of water visible in each container (using ruler) Step Five: Observe and record the results *experiment to be repeated over a four week period* Results A table showing the amount of water(mm) in container A (with plant) and container B (without plant) from soil line Day Container A Container

Phosphate rock is used to manufacture most commercial fertilizers. Phosphates mined were once sediments at the bottom of ancient seas. The world’s largest reserves of high-quality phosphate and their estimated reserves for 2012 are Morocco 50 000 MMt, China 3700 MMt and US 1100 MMt. After being mined, phosphate rock is separated from particles of sand and clay and sent to a processing plant. These processes are usually wet to enable material transport and to reduce dust.